Great graduation gifts

Looking for the perfect gift for a graduate? Check out these selections on the shelves at Westwinds Bookshop.

Christopher Haraden

Looking for the perfect gift for a graduate? Check out these selections on the shelves at Westwinds Bookshop:

In The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College, syndicated advice columnist Harlan Cohen helps students adjust to the unfamiliar world of college.

It’s billed as a behind-the-scenes look at everything kids will encounter, from sharing a bathroom to sharing notes from class. The book is peppered with funny stories about college life collected from the author’s travels to more than 100 campuses across the country.

In addition to adapting to life with a roommate (and the intimacy that the book’s title implies), Cohen helps prospective college students learn the dos and don’ts of dealing with all types of personalities.

We thought the reviewers at Publisher’s Weekly had an interesting take on the book: “Though he lists interesting statistics, additional resources and plenty of first-person letters from students seeking his advice, Cohen doesn’t offer much that a reasonably intelligent college kid couldn’t figure out on his or her own-but that may not be a weakness: ‘everything’s going to be okay’ could be just what a nervous first-year student needs to hear most.”

Don’t Tell Me What To Do, Just Send Money - The Essential Parenting Guide To The College Years provides an in-depth look at how parents and young adults adapt to the lifestyle changes of the college years. Written by Helen E. Johnson, assistant dean of students at Cornell University and Christine Schelhas-Miller, who works in adolescent development at Cornell, the book is written in an easy-to-read style and contains effective guidelines for negotiating the challenges from both sides of the fence.

The authors’ message has been described as the notion that parenting style “should evolve from daily care giving to more of a mentoring relationship,” and the book is billed as “both a useful guide and a literary security blanket.”

For those out of college, The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke, by Suze Ormanis a financial guide aimed, according to its publisher, “squarely at ‘Generation Debt’ and their anxious parents.”

Orman has published numerous financial guidebooks – her newest is a book focusing on women and money management – but in The Money Book, she zeroes in on college-age kids and college graduates.

Through her television and radio shows, as well as her appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Orman has built a reputation as a no-nonsense money manager who looks beyond the financial data and into the motives behind the financial decisions people make.

The twenty- and thirty- something members of “Generation Debt,” according to Orman, share the same goals of their parents – buying a house, supporting a family, paying for their children’s education and saving for retirement – but face unique obstacles, including enormous student loan debt and a weak job market.

“They live off their credit cards, may or may not have health insurance, and come up so far short at the end of the month that the idea of saving money is a joke,” according Orman. “The financial reality that faces young people today and offers a set of real, not impossible solutions to the problems at hand and the problems ahead.”

Orman tackles these problems in the book and through a designated area on her website, giving college grads (and their parents) hope that they can reach their financial goals.

One of the most-requested books for graduates is also one of the oldest – Oh, the Places You’ll Go, by Dr. Seuss. This volume has been reprinted numerous times, and also has been adapted for all ages, including newborns.

But during graduation season, many gift-buyers gravitate toward the familiar Seussian nonsense – all of which hides subtle lessons about life and success:

“Congratulations!Today is your day.You’re off to Great Places!You’re off and away!You have brains in your head.You have feet in your shoesYou can steer yourselfany direction you choose.You’re on your own. And you know what you know.And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

Dr. Seuss concludes with the call to action that has inspired graduates for generations:

“Today is your day!Your mountain is waiting.So... get on your way!”

Mark your calendars: On Sunday, May 20, Margaret Kearney and the co-authors of The Duxbury Beach Book, recently published by the Duxbury Beach Preservation Society, will be discussing the book and autographing copies at the Duxbury Free Library. The event, part of the library’s Sunday Salon Series, takes place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Merry Room.

Exactly a month later, on June 20, the South Shore’s favorite storyteller, novelist Claire Cook, will speak about her newest book, Life’s a Beach, at the library. Cook, who lives in Scituate, is best known for her book Must Love Dogs, which was made into a feature film. Her latest book also takes place in the fictional town of Marshbury (we think it’s somewhere between Marshfield and Duxbury) and introduces us to another set of zany characters. The novel will be published in June, so you can be among the first to meet the author and have her sign a copy of the book. The event will take place in the Merry Room at the Duxbury Free Library, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be available soon at Westwinds and the library.

Christopher Haraden and his wife, Marilyn, own and operate Westwinds Bookshop in Duxbury. Stop by 45 Depot St. or browse the shelves anytime at www.westwindsbookshop.com.

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